I don’t care if you are a democrat, a republican, a liberal, or a conservative. Brain Injury can happen to anyone, anytime, and anyplace. The elections are over and now it’s time to govern.
There are now over 3.8 million Americans each year who sustain a brain injury and millions of Americans are living with long term disability because of brain trauma.
We are talking about our nation’s youth injured in vehicle collisions, while engaged in sports, or simply resulting from falls.
We are talking about senior citizens, military personnel, victims of intimate partner violence, our homeless populations and even those who are incarcerated.
In 2022, we can now add long Covid-19 to the list.
Although public awareness of brain injury has increased, it still can accurately be called the “silent epidemic”
The United States Congress under the joint leadership of Democratic Congressman Bill Pascrell and Republican Congressman Don Bacon has a Brain Injury Task Force whose mission is to further education and awareness of brain injury and support funding for research, rehabilitation, and development of a cure. Many members are unfamiliar with the devastating long-term consequences of brain injury, the way it can change a life in an instant, its impact upon spouses and children and the associated economic costs.
By my last count only 84 members of Congress have joined this task force. That’s including Senators and members of the House of Representatives. There are 100 Senators and 435 House members. This is a disgrace.
I urge you to contact your representative without delay and tell them its time to make life better for brain injury survivors and their families.
In 2023, in the new 118th Congressional Session, it’s time your congressional representative joined the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force and support improved education, advocacy, and treatment for all brain injury survivors. Thanks for joining me this week and I look forward to meeting with you again next week, on a new edition of The Brain Injury Insider.